/ 14 January 1999

RAINS SPARK PROVINCE

UNSEASONABLY good rains have filled almost all Northern Province’s dams to capacity and could spark a lucrative agricultural boom in the region. Water affairs officials said on Thursday that heavy rains over the past three months have filled the important Ebenerzer, Klaserie and Magoebaskloof dams to 100% capacity while all others in the province are over 83% full. Water affairs spokesperson, Phuthi Seloba, said this year’s rains are a significant improvement on the previous two years and will provide the province’s agricultural schemes with more than enough water — even during the approaching dry season.

EU-GHANA GRANT

GHANA and the European Union have signed a four-year grant of R4,8-million to aid the country’s Audit Service in its capacity building process. The grant, which is a component of the public financial management reform programme, covers financial and performance audit, information technology and management and administration. It will assist the audit service in planning and performing audits more efficiently and in line with international standards. The accord was signed by Finance Minister Kwame Peprah and Charles Brook, head of the European Union Delegation in Ghana.